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issan style ground pork larb minced pork with herbs arranged on a white platter with cucumber, cabbage and beans
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Issan-Style Pork Larb

I learned how to make “larb” on my honeymoon in Chang Mai, Northern Thailand. My husband, Aaron, and I took a cooking class together which was one of the highlights of my trip and resulted in this recipe for a minced meat salad. It is based on a Southeast Asian recipe that is also referred to as “laap” or “laab” and is filled with herbs, fish sauce and shallots.
Course Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Keyword cilantro, fish sauce, ground pork, herbs, larb, meat, pork
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 as an appetizer, 2 as an entrée.
Calories 471kcal

Ingredients

For the larb:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • Kosher salt, as needed
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 Thai birdseye chilies, thinly sliced
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced (tender parts only)
  • 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup roughly chopped mint leaves
  • ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro

For the crispy shallots:

  • Vegetable oil as needed, for frying
  • 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced

For serving:

  • 1 medium English cucumber, sliced on the bias
  • 6 ounces green beans
  • ¼ head cabbage, leaves separated
  • 1 small head butter lettuce, leaves separated

Instructions

For the larb:

  • Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the vegetable oil and heat through. Add the pork, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Cook until the pork is cooked through and no longer pink but not browned and season with salt, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to a medium mixing bowl, draining as much of the cooking liquid as possible.
  • In a small mixing bowl whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chilies and lemongrass then pour over the pork mixture and toss together with the shallots, green onion, mint and cilantro.

For the crispy shallots:

  • Add enough oil to a 10” cast iron skillet ½” of the way up with the oil. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350ºF . Add the shallots and fry, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes, lowering the heat if they brown too quickly. Use tongs to remove the shallots to a paper towel-lined plate and cool for 5 minutes.

For serving:

  • Serve warm or at room temperature with the sliced vegetables for serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1801mg | Potassium: 753mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 881IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg